IT was inevitable the chat would turn to the impending encounter with Real Madrid at some point when the Celtic players sat down to have their lunch after training at Lennoxtown yesterday.
Real are the Champions League holders, are managed by the legendary Carlo Ancelotti and are likely to field, among others, global icons Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
So there was much excited chatter among Callum McGregor and his team mates about their opponents and their opening Group F match at Parkhead this evening as they ate.
Yet, it was clear when they spoke that nobody in the Scottish champions’ squad is going to be overawed when the meeting with the Spanish superstars gets underway.
Matt O’Riley, the playmaker who once again impressed in the 4-0 triumph over Rangers on Saturday and is certain to start this evening, is confident that Ange Postecoglou’s on-form side can compete and record a famous win.
He is acutely aware that his side were the first British winners of the European Cup in 1967 and has no interest in swapping shirts with any of his world-famous rivals after the final whistle.
“The Real game came up in conversation at lunch,” he said at the pre-match press conference at Celtic Park. “We were all just there. I heard someone saying: ‘I think we have got a good chance’. We all just bit on it and agreed.
“We are not going to go into the game and not give it a go. If we don’t believe we can win you will be able to see that right from the off. Hopefully you will see a team that is right on it and really wants to win.”
“I don’t know why you would want to swap shirts. Celtic are a big club. We have got a star on our badge as well you know. That says something in itself. To be honest, when you’re at Celtic Park with the atmosphere in those stands anything can happen. It’s been proven in the past. So why not?
“If you draw here it’s considered a defeat. That’s new for me. It might not be exactly the same this time, but when we walk out here we are expected to win. That’s what we will try to do.”
O’Riley, a £1.5m signing from English League One club MK Dons back in January, has dreamed of playing in the Champions League since he was a Barcelona-obsessed young boy growing up in London.
He has limited European experience – he played in both legs of the Conference League play-off defeat to Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt last season – but he is not lacking in confidence at the moment.
The 21-year-old, who set up the opening two goals at the weekend, is hopeful he can reproduce his sparkling domestic form against Real.
“I was always prepared mentally to be in this competition,” he said. “You obviously can’t control what will happen, but that was always my goal.
“I feel I have improved a lot and I feel quite free when I’m on the pitch. It’s something I work on. I play with no fear and when you do that there’s every chance you’ll do well.”
The attacking midfielder has enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence since moving to Scotland; he was playing for MK Dons against Cheltenham in an English third tier match in front of 3,704 fans at Whaddon Road this time last year.
“Things have changed quite a lot since then,” he said. “Back then, I wouldn’t have expected to be where I am now. But all the hard work has paid off and I’m in a good place.
“I remember that Cheltenham game well. There were obviously quite a few less fans. They are probably one of the smaller teams in League One.
“It’s hard not to be motivated when there’s 60,000 fans behind you. It does give you that extra will power, that extra yard to chase a runner. So it helps a lot. Playing in front of these crowds has helped prepare me for big nights like this.”
O’Riley is a huge admirer of Modric, the Croatian internationalist who is a former Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup finalist and is looking forward to seeing how he fares in direct opposition to his revered rival.
“He is one in particular I watched when I was younger,” he said. “He’s 36 now and still playing at the top level, which is impressive.
“I do watch a lot of these guys on television. You can pick up things everywhere or see the shape of teams and what areas you can exploit. It’s important to keep learning your trade. They have an abundance of good players though and it will be good to see where we are at.”
However, the Danish Under-21 internationalist is hoping it is a night to forget for the Real side which beat Liverpool 1-0 in Paris back in May to lift the Champions League trophy for a record 14th occasion.
“You don’t want them to enjoy it,” he said. “Of course not. That is going to be our intention. Like I said before, you need to respect the opposition. They have got very good players. But I think we have got good players as well so let’s see what we can do.”
“There’s not many teams that play at the intensity we do, especially the speed on the ball and the way we press as well. We are going to try and make it as uncomfortable as we can for them. We have to be ready to do that.
“I think Saturday’s game proves that we’re a good team already. We are not a team that is going into this competition just to take part, we are a team that is capable of hurting the opposition so we are going to try our best to do that.”
